Twelve-year-old Hardy has moved to the mountains with his widowed mother. The boy loves exploring the land around the family cabin, looking for signs of generations gone by. Hardy makes an unlikely friend, Lily Mae, at his new school, and she joins him on his outdoor adventures. The two amateur explorers befriend Maddy, an old woman living in an even older, remote house. When something terrible happens to Maddy, Hardy and Lily Mae are warned to stop their hunting for suppressed clues about the local history. Hardy persists anyway, and his final discovery draws him even closer to his exploring companion.
Through the characters and events in this story, readers are invited to reflect on the deep struggles of race and identity in America with new insight and fresh hope.
George B. Thompson Jr. became entranced with the stories of southern Appalachia when he and his wife Beverly resided in a historic farmhouse near Dahlonega, Georgia. Thompson has published a number of professional articles and books in his years as a pastor, a seminary professor, and a coach for churches and pastors. They now live in Black Mountain, North Carolina. This is Thompson’s first novel.
“What Hardy Found provides strong associations for anyone of any age who grew up exploring in the woods, learning life lessons in the process. However, Thompson creates more than an enjoyable coming of age story; this suspenseful mystery keeps readers wanting to know just what he will find. We are rewarded by what far exceeds the material findings: we are dazzled by the honesty and integrity of Hardy’s actions and friendships.”
—Donna A. Gessell, Professor of English, University of North Georgia
“A riveting account told from the perspective of a twelve-year-old boy, What Hardy Found is an adventurous coming-of-age discovery story. Through several plot twists and turns, George B. Thompson Jr. masterfully introduces Pine Gap and its residents through Hardy’s experiences. Embarked on a mission with his four-legged companion, Rusty, and a newly found friend, Lily Mae, What Hardy Found is an exploration for what lies behind the woods and hills of Pine Gap.”
—Quincy D. Brown, pastor and church missional specialist